Lughnasadh Blessing

א' באב תשע"א
Lughnasadh 3

To all my pagan customers - have an abundantly blessed and enchantingly magical Lughnasadh. May this sabbat be filled with all good!

BLACKBERRY WINE Soy Pillar Votives w/ Blackberry Wine, Blackberries, Elder Berries, Bilberries & More for Lughnasadh, Mabon, Harvest Sabbats

א' בתמוז תשע"א
Faunus 3

Representing the first fruit of the Earth Mother Goddess, given to us abundantly and with blessing, Blackberries are a traditional part of olde world Celtic Lughnasadh celebrations. At this time of the year, often blackberries are baked in pies and made into wine.

In honor of this Celtic tradition, these Old Ways witch-crafted deep purple BLACKBERRY WINE ritual pillar votive candles are a sweetly dark blend of Blackberry Wine, Blackberries, Elderberries, Bilberries, Amber and more. Handcrafted with premium certified kosher soy wax and pure cotton wick, BLACKBERRY WINE votives are dusted with deep purples and black Mystical Magic fairy dust and genuine berries.

Celebrate the Harvest Season with beauty and give thanks for your blessings with BLACKBERRY WINE votives.

This listing is for a set of 3 straight pillar soy votives.

Each votive measures 2" tall.

BLACKBERRY WINE is also available as a pillar candle in the Candle Magic section of this shoppe. Matching ritual oil is available in the Potions / Oils / Brews section of WITCHCRAFTS.

Comes beautifully packaged.

BLACKBERRY WINE Ritual Soy Candle

כ״ה בסיון תשע"א
Alban Heruin 27

Representing the first fruit of the Earth Mother Goddess, given to us abundantly and with blessing, Blackberries are a traditional part of olde world Celtic Lughnasadh celebrations. At this time of the year, often blackberries are baked in pies and made into wine.

In honor of this Celtic tradition, this Old Ways witch-crafted deep purple BLACKBERRY WINE ritual candle is a sweetly dark blend of Blackberry Wine, Blackberry, Elderberry, Bilberry, Amber and more. Handcrafted with premium certified kosher soy wax and pure cotton wick, BLACKBERRY WINE is dusted with deep purples and black Mystical Magic fairy dust and adorned with Purple Firefly and handmade Lavender Buds silk sari ribbons.

Celebrate the Harvest Season with beauty and give thanks for your blessings with BLACKBERRY WINE.

Measures 2x3".

BLACKBERRY WINE is also available in 3x4", 2.5x6", 3x6" and 3x9" sizes - convo me for custom listing. Matching ritual oil is available in the Potions / Oils / Brews section of WITCHCRAFTS.

Comes beautifully packaged.

BLACKBERRY WINE Ritual Perfume Oil

כ״ב בסיון תשע"א
Alban Heruin 24

Representing the first fruit of the Earth Mother Goddess, given to us abundantly and with blessing, Blackberries are a traditional part of olde world Celtic Lughnasadh celebrations. At this time of the year, often blackberries are baked in pies and made into wine.

In honor of this Celtic tradition, Old Ways witch-crafted deep purple BLACKBERRY WINE ritual perfume oil is a sweetly dark blend of Blackberry Wine, Blackberry, Elderberry, Bilberry, Amber and more. The 3ml burnt cork glass spell bottle is sealed with black wax and adorned with handmade Blackberry Wine silk sari ribbon.

Comes beautifully packaged.

Matching spell candle also available in the Candle Magic section of WITCHCRAFTS.

FIRST HARVEST Lughnasadh Lammas Sabbat Ritual Oil

י״ג בסיון תשע"א
Alban Heruin 15

As the cycle of the year turns from Summer to Autumn, and the Darkness of Winter gathers at the edge of the Light, the time for reaping comes. The Harvest Festival and Sabbat of Lughnasadh (Calan Awst in Welsh witchcraft, Lammas in English) celebrates this sacred time and provides us with a focused opportunity to give thanks for our blessings and abundance, to share our Wisdom, and to gather in and dry garden herbs for the next year's spell workings. Lughnasadh is a favored time for handfastings in Celtic tradition. In medieval times, this festival was also known as the Gule of August (throat or neck of August).

Celebrate Lughnasadh and experience the warm magical delight of colorful leaves sailing upon an autumn breeze with this Old Ways witch-crafted FIRST HARVEST Lughnasadh Lammas Sabbat ritual oil potently powered with select certified organic botanicals from the Dark Crone's cupboard. FIRST HARVEST is a lovely original blend charged with dark orange Carnelian and six Grael harvest botanicals including Oat Tops, Oatstraw, Wheat Grass, Bee Pollen, Meadowsweet and Yarrow Flower.

Handcrafted with premium certified organic earth kosher botanicals, FIRST HARVEST is generously scented with a warm autumn original blend of oils exclusive to WITCHCRAFTS and adorned with handmade autumn gold silk sari and olde gold sheer organdy ribbons.

Power up Lughnasadh magical rites with FIRST HARVEST.

Comes beautifully packaged.

FIRST HARVEST Lughnasadh Lammas Sabbat Ritual Soy Spell Candle Powered w/ Six Grael Botanicals for Autumn Magic

כ״ה באייר תשע"א
Mab 27

As the cycle of the year turns from Summer to Autumn, and the Darkness of Winter gathers at the edge of the Light, the time for reaping comes. The Harvest Festival and Sabbat of Lughnasadh (Calan Awst in Welsh witchcraft, Lammas in English) celebrates this sacred time and provides us with a focused opportunity to give thanks for our blessings and abundance, to share our Wisdom, and to gather in and dry garden herbs for the next year's spell workings. Lughnasadh is a favored time for handfastings in Celtic tradition. In medieval times, this festival was also known as the Gule of August (throat or neck of August).

Celebrate Lughnasadh and experience the warm magical delight of colorful leaves sailing upon an autumn breeze with this Old Ways witch-crafted FIRST HARVEST Lughnasadh Lammas Sabbat ritual altar soy spell pillar candle potently powered with select certified organic botanicals from the Dark Crone's cupboard. FIRST HARVEST is a lovely deep golden and rusty red magical illuminator charged with dark orange Carnelian and six Grael harvest botanicals including Oat Tops, Oatstraw, Wheat Grass, Bee Pollen, Meadowsweet and Yarrow Flower.

Handcrafted with premium certified kosher soy wax and pure cotton wick, FIRST HARVEST is generously scented with a warm autumn original blend of oils. This gorgeous pillar is dusted with ultra fine Wisdom Harvest faerie dust and adorned with a silver Harvested Corn charm hung on olde gold sheer organdy ribbon.

Power up Lughnasadh magical rites with FIRST HARVEST.

FIRST HARVEST is also available in 3x4" @ $24.95, 3x6" @ $29.95 and 3x9" @ $39.95 sizes - convo me for custom listing.

Comes beautifully packaged.

HARVEST BOUNTY Witch's Altar Ladder / Handfasting Cord

כ"ח בתמוז תש"ע
Faunus 29

Wickedly wonderful, this HARVEST BOUNTY witch's altar ladder and/or handfasting cord perfectly brings abundance and beauty to your Autumn Sabbat celebrations or wedding. Handcrafted with handmade deeply warm Terra Cotta silk sari ribbon, exquisite Fiesta yarn softly flaming with brilliant colors of Autumn, dark brown satiny ribbon, nine light brown wooden beads, twenty-five knots, a large 1 inch diameter Tibetan silver pentacle charm, and a silver leaf charm.



Nine is the diameter the witch's sacred circle.

Twenty-five is the gematria (numerology) of the magical Hebrew words meaning "and with gladness" (ובטוב) "be" (היי). So mote it be, אמן!

Measuring 60 inches (= 5 feet = five elemental corners of the encircled Pentacle), this HARVEST BOUNTY cord corresponds to the "secret within the secret" of the witch's sacred circle through the magical Hebrew letter Samech (having both a gematria-numrology value of 60 and written in the form of a closed circle).

Comes in an organza pouch with a surprise gift, and beautifully packaged.

This magical item may be purchased at WITCHCRAFTS by Liorah Lleucu.

Traditional Samhain Barmbrack

Photo by Podchef

כ' בתמוז תשס״ט
Faunus 21

I will personally begin gathering up my supplies and loading up my ritual intent to make my first loaf of Samhain barmbrack with the New Moon of the witches' month of Lughnasadh, which falls on July 21st this year.

Irish barmbrack (báirín breac), similar to Welsh bara brith, is a traditional yeasted tea bread prepared by witches for Samhain divinatory rituals. The authentic traditional Irish recipe below comes from Mike Lewis.

Barmbrack is usually baked in a round cake tin. I use a 20 cm (8 in) tin with a loose base, but the recipe works just as well with a rectangular loaf tin. The quantities given here will make one large loaf.

* 2 tea bags, or 3 tsp. loose tea (a strong black blend works best)
* 3½ cups (12 oz, 350 g) mixed dried fruit (raisins, golden raisins/sultanas, currants, candied peel)
* 1 cup (8 fl oz, 240 ml) milk
* 1 tsp. sugar
* 2 tsp. dried active yeast (not instant yeast)
* 3 cups (1 lb, 450 g) strong bread flour (I usually use white flour but you can also use a mixture of white and wheat meal)
* 1 tsp. salt
* ¼ cup (1 oz, 25 g) brown sugar
* 1/3 cup (3 oz, 75 g) butter or margarine
* 1 beaten egg
* 1 tsp. mixed spice (equal parts of ground cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and mace, for example)

Oven: Pre-heat to 350F (180C).

Start by making two cups (16 fl oz, 480 ml) of strong black tea. Remove the tea bags, or strain the tea to remove the leaves. Soak the dried fruit in the tea. Ideally, the fruit should soak for several hours or even overnight, but if this is not possible, don't worry - just leave it soaking for as long as you can.

Warm the milk until it is hand-hot (you can do this in the microwave). Stir in the teaspoon of sugar and the yeast, and leave in a warm place for about 15 minutes or until it becomes frothy.

Mix the flour, salt and brown sugar in a large bowl. Rub in the butter or margarine. Add the frothy yeast, the beaten egg and the spice. Drain any remaining liquid from the fruit, then add the fruit to the mixture. Mix well to make a smooth dough (add extra flour if the mixture is too wet).

Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead it thoroughly. Place it in an oiled tin, cover with a cloth, and leave in a warm place to rise for 45 - 60 minutes; the dough should have doubled in size.

Place the tin in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove the loaf from the tin, turn it upside down and put it back in the tin or directly on the oven shelf. Bake for another 20 minutes or so. The loaf will be ready when it sounds hollow when you tap (atap tap tap) on each of the sides. Cool the loaf on a wire rack before serving.

Recipe for Barmbrack (August 2005)

For Samhain observance, before the final rise of the bread, place meaningful parchment or greaseproof paper wrapped charms in equal intervals throughout the bread mixture. Some traditional charms include a bean, a coin, a thimble or pea, a button, a matchstick, a gold ring and a snippet of cloth. Here are the meanings this wycked witch has attached to the charms for my divinations:

fava bean - contact with the Ancestors
silver pentacle dime - protected success and prosperity
thimble or pea - steadfast fidelity and connection to one's core truth
celtic knot button - open map to pathways in the soul
matchstick - a warm home and cozy hearth
gold ring - clear path to the heart
snippet of linen cloth - weaving together destiny

Samhain barmbrack is in opposite harmony with Pesach matzot. It is magically important that Samhain barmbrack be prepared as a yeasted bread - don't be tempted to use self-raising flour, baking soda or other chemical rising agents.

Lughnasadh Blessings To All!

Lughnasadh Tarot Magic

Queen of Swords, from Seasons of the Witch Calendar

כ"א תמוז התשס"ח
Faunus 23

~ I conjure the means to match my strength ~

Spirit - Queen of Swords, upright over and behind altar, guarding altar. Print from Seasons of the Witch calendar. "Two feet firmly on the ground, in relaxed yet ready position. In the wrought iron doorway, prepared for the journey." [Tarot Magick, Kelly Danann]

Four Corners, cards from Llewellyn Tarot:

Earth - Justice (truth, justice, balance, deliberation, insight, honor, patience, right action)

Water - Queen of Swords (empowerment, courage, determination, revolutionary, pioneering)

Fire - Ace of Wands (inspired breakthrough, visionary, quick thinking, understanding, confidence, strength)

Air - Queen of Wands (warm intelligence, worthiness, talent, courage, steadfastness)

Related entry: Excalibur

Excalibur-Lughnasadh-Luchot Candle Dressing

כ' תמוז התשס"ח
Faunus 22

Zayin - Gemini - Sivan - first set of holy tablets (luchot) - Mercury (פ)

equal parts:

caraway
flax seeds
horehound
fennel
mulberry

Yud - Virgo - Elul - second set of holy tablets (luchot) - Mercury (פ)

equal parts:

mace
marjoram
peppermint
pomegranate seeds
rosemary

Essential oils - lavender, bergamot
Carrier oil - almond

Base ingredient - crushed blackberries or blackberry wine

Related entry: Kabbalah Of Excalibur

Poppet Joy

ט"ו תמוז התשס"ח
Faunus 17

I've started a new project for upcoming Lughnasadh, the sabbat which harvests the Divine power of the long arm (like in my dream earlier this month). I am handcrafting for myself a unique magic poppet.

In honor of Lughnasadh, today I purchased for my as yet unmade poppet, a kachina ("life-bringer") charm of Angwusnasomtaka, the crow mother spirit from Hopi mythological cosmology. Angwusnasomtaka is a wuya. Black crows are associated with transmutation of consciousness in Hopi, Celtic and Jewish mysticism.

I also purchased today the spanish moss base stuffing which will be charged later with other botanicals and charms as I choose them during the poppet's construction.

Earth-brown 100% linen fabric will form the structure of the poppet's body. I acquired the linen remnant over a year ago at a bargain price. I didn't have any reason to purchase it at the time, other than it 'soothed my spirit' to look at it. So, I bought the remnant and stored it away until 'for what' I bought it came to me. The linen remnant has now been called up from the past to be used in the crafting of my poppet.

I am going to give my poppet a little besom too!

Oh! I am so giddy with excitement and happiness as I plan my poppet's construction. My heart was dancing as I opened one of my treasure boxes to pull out the old remnant of linen. My poppet already brings me joy!

How To Make Your Own Poppet
Illustrated Instructions On How To Make A Poppet

Moon & Sun Sabbats

ט"ו בתמוז תשס"ז

There are 8 festival sabbats (distinct from full and new moon esbats) in the witch's wheel of the year - 4 moon sabbats and 4 sun sabbats.

Moon Sabbats

The moon sabbats are called fire festivals, and can occur anywhere between 29-59 days following the preceding solstice or equinox. The 4 moon sabbats are Samhain (Feast of the Dead, Feast of Apples), Imbolg (Feast of Torches, Feast of Waxing Light), Beltane (Bonfire of Light, Celtic Lag B'Omer, Cetsamhain-opposite Samhain), and Lughnasadh (Feast of Bread, Lammas).

Sun Sabbats

The sun sabbats refer to the quarter days (solstices and equinoxes), and are based on the astronomical position of the sun. The 4 sun sabbats are Mabon (autumn equinox), Yule (winter solstice), Ostara (spring equinox), and Litha (summer solstice).